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Shakespeare Research and Resources: Websites

An overview on conducting research on all things Shakespearean with additional information for Steven Chiolis's Eng 4 (Othello) and Humanities 3 (The Tempest) classes.

Search Engines

Search engines, like Google and Bing, give you access to everything that is on the web--the good, the bad, and the ugly.  If you want to narrow your search results to resources that are generally more reliable, use the advanced search feature for the search engine.  Using the advanced search feature, you can generally designate which types of websites you want to limit your search to by specifying the domain(s) (website extensions) you'd like to search.  For example, the domains of .gov or .edu.

Google Advanced Search - Information on educational and governmental websites tend to have more reliable information. 

In the advance search, along with your search terms, enter .edu or .gov in the box labeled "Search within a site or domain:". 

Evaluating Websites

The quality of the information you find on the Web varies tremendously so it is always a good idea to check the information against another source. As with all information resources, whether in print or on the Internet, you evaluate its quality based on the following criteria:

  • Accuracy (Is it free from mistakes and errors?)
  • Authority (What are the qualifications of the author?)
  • Objectivity (Is there any strong bias?)
  • Currency (Is the information up to date?)
  • Coverage (To what extent is the topic explored?)

That's just the basics.  Learn more!

Tutorials on Evaluation Criteria

CRAAP Test (CSU Chico)

Web Resources

Shakespeare Searched

Shakespeare Searched is a search engine designed to provide quick access to passages from Shakespeare's plays and sonnets.

Global Shakespeares

The Global Shakespeares Video & Performance Archive is a collaborative project providing online access to performances of Shakespeare from many parts of the world as well as essays and metadata provided by scholars and educators in the field.

Internet Shakespeare Editions

A non-profit corporation affiliated with the University of Victoria, the Internet Shakespeare Editions provides published works for the student, scholar, actor, and general reader.

Open Source Shakespeare 

Open Shakespeare combines literary criticism and the internet, to produce a completely free and open set of tools for appreciating the Bard. Currently you can use our website to read all of Shakespeare, including brief individual introductions to each play, perform rudimentary statistical analysis, compare texts side by side, search and annotate any of Shakespeare’s works and much more

Royal Shakespeare Company | RSC | Stratford-upon-Avon, UK

Shakespeare Institute

An internationally renowned research institution established in 1951 to push the boundaries of knowledge about Shakespeare Studies and Renaissance Drama.

The Shakespeare Houses website

The organization that oversees the Shakespearean properties in Stratford and the surrounding area, including the Birthplace Museum.

Elizabethan Costuming Page

Links to sites on all aspects of Elizabethan Costuming - from costume construction to hats and headresses to underpinnings

Subject Guide